Testing the Seba C.J. Wellsmores
Seba kept us waiting for more than a year before unveiling his new aggressive skate model: the C.J. Wellsmore. The French brand has already established its pedigree in slalom and freeskate. Now it also tackles aggressive skating and doesn't do things by half.
Par alfathor
Dissection of the new aggressive skate by Seba
Design
Indeed the CJ Wellsmore is a high-end model. You can tell at first sight that Seba wanted to do things well. The brand’s logo is everywhere. And with its black and grey looks you cannot mistake it for another model. The carbon design has nothing in common with that of the USD for example: on the Seba, the carbon basis is larger and the heel is more sophisticated with wave shapes that increase the rigidity of the structure… and enable to add more foam padding at the heel.
The soulplate also is wide. It fits quite closely the shape of the CJ Wellsmore but is still wider at the heel for more sliding stability.
The frame was also specially designed for that model with the brand’s name written on it. It is quite big at first sight. Seba made sure that the skate sizes are as close as possible to the foot and proposes a great range of sizes.
The overboot is made of a thick material reminding of leather. The nose of the skate is reinforced to withstand shocks better.
Comfort
The comfort is excellent. Nothing wrong. Still, the foam is so thick that your feet may struggle to make room during your first session. No panic, after a few hours of skating with your skates open, it gets better. With time, you progressively tighten the skate in order to fully enjoy its comfort. From that moment on, you realize how comfortable the skate is: the more you skate the more comfy it gets.
A damper however: at the front of the skate, your toes are in direct contact with the carbon material and bad falls may hurt. A little foam padding at the forefoot would have been welcome. The shock absorber is compact and dense and does its job in all situations.
Tightening
The tightening system is pretty classic. The laces start from the toes to the ankle. You already feel perfectly supported just with the laces tightened. A large strap covers the instep. It reminds of that of the K2s but it is more efficient as the heel perfectly fits into the foam padding. Last but not least, the micrometric buckle brings an extra support at the ankle. The buckle has been reinforced and has a good width.
All in all, the skate provides a very good support of the foot: no heel lifting and no foot moving loose back and forth into the boot. The tightening is simply optimal.
Flexibility
Let’s admit it: carbon is rigid, it doesn’t move and doesn’t soften with time. Indeed, that’s the purpose of it. As for the cuff, it is quite soft and has a good cut, so that you will easily succeed on your first tops and other grinds. Yet, adapting to that rigidity-flexibility combination takes a little time. Once you will have got the hang of them, you will fully enjoy the CJs. The cuff is soft enough to allow all ankle moves. Then, even if the skate is rigid on the whole, the skating and sliding flow.
Sliding
The sliding is quite surprising. It is soft and swift enough so that you don’t grip on any spot. Curb, rail or coping, the sliding remains the same, which is really appreciable. The soulplate hardly scrapes on edges. The groove is is very well placed. Combined with the frame, it makes the stalling very easy. For tops, the width of the soulplate will prevent you from missing the spot or from getting out of it. You quickly get the hang of the sliding and fully enjoy the qualities of the skate. Whatever its position, you never feel any shock or bad pain while sliding.
Frame
Seba proposes a new frame design with a very wide H-bloc. The frames perfectly fits with the soulplate. They slide homogeneously on every spot. However the serigraphy of the frames being hollowed out, it may happen that they sometimes grip on some spots. The frame gets filed down quite fast so that the problem is quickly settled, especially in curbs.
Wheels
Seba thought on a big scale for the wheels: they have a diameter of 60 mm and a hardness of 88A, so that you find yourself on big and fast wheels. The bearings are the Seba MW9s, which adds to the speed. However the wheels have angles on the sides that give a pretty special sensation for the handling of the skate, but they get even fast by dint of sessions.
The anti-rockers are made of plastic and are deprived of bearings which may stain the idea of high-end model, but it is an understandable choice justified by a weight gain argument.
Solidity
The skate is pretty solid, for the boot as well as for the frame. The covers on the buckle and at the forefoot are efficient. The soulplate and the frame are quite soft and file down a bit quickly… but it doesn’t alter the sliding. The skate is solid on the whole and even the liner remains dense despite the sessions.
The screw holding the strap juts out a bit and takes shocks, but it stays in its place. The overboot withstands shocks very well. Nothing to declare here.
Conclusion
The Seba C.J. Wellsmore successfully enters the ultra-competitive world of aggressive skating, moreover at the top of the range of the discipline. And although they may seem a bit expensive, the skates have huge qualities: a good sliding, an excellent comfort and a wide range of sizes…
Strong points and points to be improved
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Pluses+ Comfort |
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Minuses– softness of the frame |
Galerie photo
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Video
Cj Wellsmore ‘ SEBA Tour in the USA ‘ from SEBASKATES on Vimeo.
Technical facts
Brand: SEBA
Model: C.J. Wellsmore
Year: 2013
Boot: Carbon
Liner: Dense foam padding integrated to the boot
Cuff: Articulated plastic cuff
Tightening: Micrometric buckle, strap and laces
Sizes: 36 to 47
Frame: Seba
Wheels: Seba 60 mm 88 A
Maximum diameter: 65 mm
Bearings: Seba Twincam MW9
Price: 399€
Use: Aggressive, park and ramp
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